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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26272147">I'll be Damned</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Septic_wolf/pseuds/Septic_wolf'>Septic_wolf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Darkness follows you [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Justice League &amp; Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bruce needs to talk through things, Bruce's parents are still good people, Coming to terms with new information, Gen, Hugs, Just need to not do certain things</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:42:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,911</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26272147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Septic_wolf/pseuds/Septic_wolf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce was fine. He was. He can get through a meeting with the Justice League and go home, deal with this on his own. Yeah. He could do that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Darkness follows you [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>92</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I'll be Damned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Bruce knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were beyond that door, waiting for him to walk in as he always did, right on time without a delay. Get right to the point. But his feet felt like they were welded to the ground, immovable from the gravity that was the realization of what he’d become. <em>What he had always been. </em></p>
<p>            <em>“I’m so sorry master Bruce…” </em></p>
<p>            No Alfred. You can’t be sorry about something you swore to keep secret till it became obvious. My parents. They… <em>“They had only done it to protect you, sir. You were their everything.” </em>Bruce thought back to Richard, Jason… Tim. How was he even going to tell them about what he supposedly was? Is. Gah, there was no getting rid of this feeling, was there? Bruce came back to himself, looking once again at the door. <em>How do I tell them? </em></p>
<p>            Taking cautious steps Bruce entered into the founder's meeting room, nearly choking on air when all their eyes turned to him. Bruce held their eyes for a moment, only that, before walking further into the room and taking his place to the right of Superman. <em>How will this change my position in the League? </em>Clark started in on the meeting. Diana was speaking here and there and for once Bruce kept his mouth shut for close to the whole meeting. There were some odd looks from the others, Hal seemed to be relieved, but Barry was concerned. J’onn seemed to be skeptical but out of them, all Bruce knew that he was better at keeping these sorts of topics to himself before confronting them alone. It was something he appreciated about the Martian.</p>
<p>            “Anything to add Batman?” Now all eyes were on him, and he was sure that his heart rate was steady. He was sure. But Clark’s eyes seemed to shift to concern when Bruce still didn’t speak and seemed to tense at the attention that the alien had brought on him. <em>I shouldn’t have come up to the watchtower. </em>Bruce shook his head, not trusting his voice to answer the Man of Steel verbally. “Meeting adjourned then.” He murmured, though no one seemed eager to get up from their seats immediately. All their eyes were still on Bruce, on his silence, how he was also still in his chair waiting for them to leave so that he could get his body convinced to move.</p>
<p>            He narrowed his eyes, more on instinct by this point in his life. No one spoke. No one moved. It wasn’t for another 3 minutes until Hal spoke up, “What’s up Spooky? Gotham having a slow night?” <em>Gotham never has slow nights. Not since Joker’s been on the prowl for the past week. </em>Bruce instead stared, shaking his head only slightly.</p>
<p>            “Bruce?” Diana’s voice seemed cautious, though Bruce didn’t think it needed to be. He wasn’t some dangerous animal that needed help, he was fine. Completely fine. Revelations be damned he was just a little tired. Nothing to be concerned over. “How are the boys?”</p>
<p>            Bruce’s eyes widened at the question. <em>The boys? </em>They were alright. Jason was talking to him. He and Dick hadn’t fought in months. Tim was as smart as ever, he was finally staying at the Manor after a month of pleading and bribing with homecooked meals and cookies. They were… Really good. “They are fine.”</p>
<p>            “So, he does speak! I thought you had a cold or something keeping mute.” Barry’s voice cut through the air, grin in place as the others seemed more concerned after he spoke.</p>
<p>            Diana turned back to him. “Bruce, you seem out of it.” Was he?</p>
<p>            “I…” Bruce turned his head away, glancing instead to one of the monitors, one that he might be able to bring up the records. Bring up the changes that he’d made to his file. Something that he knew looking at would make him run back to Gotham and never wish to emerge from the shadows again. “I learned something.”</p>
<p>            There were small shifts. Everyone waiting for him to explain further. Bruce would have liked to end it there, not really sure how he was meant to explain this feeling further. <em>How do I say this without… Running… away. </em>“Agent A… He told me that something happened.” Bruce wished that words came easier than now. Clark was a writer; he knew how to speak without second-guessing himself. Diana made speeches all the time. Hal was social. Barry didn’t stop talking… Why was this hard?</p>
<p>            Another beat of silence. “What did he tell you, Batman?” J’onn’s voice made Bruce close his eyes, instinct making his mind close off to the non-existent probe that he thought the Martian would try with his mind.</p>
<p>            “He told me that my parents made a deal with a devil. That I’m… I’m not able to… to…” Bruce took a shaky breath, “I’m not able to die.”</p>
<p>            Bruce thought if he dropped a pin that he’d have heard it click against the ground. No one spoke. So, he did. “A was told by my father when I was two years old. There had been an attempt on my life. Some man wanted my parents to suffer because he’d lost his daughter at one of their hospitals. I don’t remember it happening, but I had been shot and my parents… They were afraid of it happening again not being able to save me the next time. So, they summoned some creature from the depths of Gotham and… Some way or another I was given immortality.” Bruce looked at his hands. Underneath the gloves, his hands were rough, scarred, but taken care of. They weren’t wrinkled, or raw, just well used. He didn’t want to explain what else this curse meant, what he found out with it.</p>
<p>            “Your parents?”</p>
<p>            “Yes.” Bruce hadn’t been sure who spoke, but it didn’t matter. Bruce pulled back the cowl, rubbing his hands across his face, wincing at the sharp edges of his gloves nails to give the claw effect. He’d done it to look more frightening to muggers on the street. “They threw away their lives so that… I wouldn’t have to die some ill-fated death before I was a teen… But I don’t think that was the worst of it.” Bruce glanced at the edges of his cape, feeling a cold sweat start to take over him as wisps of darkness seemed to come from the cape. “I think the longer I live, the… the more dangerous I’m going to become. I think that I’m becoming demonic.” Bruce examined his glove, taking it off to show the growing nails as the darkness seems to flicker more from his cape.</p>
<p>            There were small gasps as Bruce quickly tried hiding his hand again, willing the darkness to recede back into the shadows. He wasn’t sure he wanted to look at them, but there wasn’t anything else to say. Quiet overtook the room.</p>
<p>            “How did you not know about this?” Bruce glanced up at Sheyera who was looking at him with a look of pity. It almost made him angry enough to walk out.</p>
<p>            Instead, Bruce sighed. “Al… had promised not to tell me until it was too obvious to keep a secret anymore. Last night, I was patrolling and <em>sensed</em> someone behind me. I didn’t throw a punch at him at all, I turned around and he was already on the ground knocked out. I didn’t think anything of it, just thought he’d somehow done it to himself. But there were more times like that, and then there was Scarecrow, who lit fire to a box that I was trapped inside. I… I didn’t think I would make it.” They all tensed. “I was gasping for air; I knew my suit was on fire. I was burning alive, but I wasn’t dying. My brain never thought it was dead. Then I was able to break the box open, and I caught Scarecrow who I’m sure thought I’d been a ghost. Then I… I told Al about it and he told me the truth. Everything.” Bruce glanced at Diana, who was nearly in tears over a death that hadn’t ever happened.</p>
<p>            “Bruce.” He turned to look at Clark, who was fully exposing his emotions. His hands were pressed against the table, spread wide as to keep him standing. “Are you… Was there any damage to you from the fire?” Bruce blinked, thinking back. He’d thrown Scarecrow at the commissioner before limping to the batmobile. He could remember the pain in his legs where the fire had been the worst. He remembers burn cream being applied. There hadn’t been burn marks this morning.</p>
<p>            “I… Initially, but not anymore.”</p>
<p>            Everyone seemed to stiffen at that. Clark seemed to be shaking, the table was creaking from the effort of staying together. Before Bruce knew it Clark was swirling around and hugging him, pulling him close. Bruce, not being much of a touchy person in the first place, stiffened and tried to get out of the hold. To his surprise, there was actual space starting to come between him, and they Kryptonian. Making Bruce stop trying immediately and just take the hug out of surprise. “I can’t believe that we almost lost you.” Diana’s voice carried over from next to Clark, tears shining in her eyes. “You must have been terrified.”</p>
<p>            Bruce hadn’t thought that he’d been scared of death. But he could admit, the thought of death by fire hadn’t been pleasant. “I for one am glad you returned in one piece!” Arthur seemed to grin wide at Bruce, turning to the others to see if they agreed.</p>
<p>            “I think it’ll get him to tone down, on the whole, sacrificing himself, right Supes?” Barry’s voice called from somewhere behind him.</p>
<p>            “I think this whole reveal will only make that part worse,” Hal admitted, standing up from his chair. Everyone seemed to be standing at that. Clark finally released Bruce, though stayed close as everyone now felt that they could leave. There were a few ‘Glad you aren’t actually dead’ and ‘We can talk about this together later if you want’ from some of them but in the end, Bruce was alone with Clark. The man who, Bruce was sure, couldn’t die either.</p>
<p>            Bruce wasn’t sure what to say to the man. He, honestly, was done with talking for the day and wanted nothing more than to sleep at the manor, wait for the boys to get home, and not even patrol because it was all too weird. And he didn’t have any sort of control over this… Darkness demon magic that he now possessed. “How’s your mind handling this Bruce?”</p>
<p>            He shrugged, “As well as expected. I wasn’t happy with it, I’m still not, I feel compromised and… odded out with my own body. I can feel something lurking beneath the surface of my skin that hadn’t been there till yesterday.” That was the truth, he hadn’t been sure how to feel. It was like a snake curling around a tree or a dragon awakening from slumber. Bruce wasn’t sure how he liked it.</p>
<p>            “If you need to talk.” <em>I’ll be willing to listen. </em>It went unspoken, but Bruce understood. They’d worked together this long. He knew.</p>
<p>            “I’ll remember that, Clark.” With that Bruce stood, legs shaking slightly but he did. He walked out of the room, legs carrying him to the teleporter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>            It was time to tell the boys.             </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Immortal Bruce I think would be interesting. So I might write more about this later. I definitely think I'll write the boy's reaction to the news. </p>
<p>Hope you guys enjoyed it. </p>
<p>If there something that needs fixed let me know and I will get on it. :) </p>
<p>Leave a Kudos and comment, I appreciate feedback!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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